Drawing on two disparate sources, this sequence of mongrel-bred poems has been written to respond to the historical moment in this most disunited kingdom. Hesiod’s Works and Days – probably the oldest poem in the Western canon – is a poem driven by a dispute between brothers. The so-called vacana poems originate in the bhakti religious protest movements in 10-12th century India. Through plain language, repetition and refrain, they offer praise to the god, Siva, though they also express personal anger, puzzlement, even despair. Dear reader – if you like what you find here, please share the poems as widely as you can (no copyright restrictions). Or follow this blog for future postings. Bridges need building.

Hi Kathleen – thanks for your comment – I see your point about the accusatory nature of the 2nd person pronoun. Not sure I intended it to be strongly so though – the ‘you’ being used as it often is in poems to also imply the person speaking. In my mind the tone is one of warning more than accusation and I probably do want to draw some allusions towards a shared community of concern. Perhaps the poems shifts its ground from the more confrontational ‘have a care’ to the more concerned ‘take care’ at the end.